File Exchange

About File Exchange

File Exchange lets you find and share custom applications, classes, code examples, drivers, functions, Simulink models, scripts, and videos. With File Exchange, you can:

Your use of File Exchange is subject to the MATLAB Central Terms of Use.

Submitting Files

You can submit files of up to 20 MB. To submit a file, log in to your Community Profile. If you don't have a profile, you'll need to create one. On your account page click on “Contribute” to either upload a file from a computer or link to GitHub repository.

Linking to GitHub Repositories

When you link to files hosted in a GitHub repository, your files remain in the GitHub repository; File Exchange does not store them locally. Community members can find these files in File Exchange and then download them from GitHub directly. Community members who download files linked to GitHub are responsible for validating the content and licensing of these files. The direct connection between File Exchange and GitHub means that contributors can develop software projects in a single environment without having to upload files to both locations. Contributors get all the benefits of collaborative development in GitHub while community members get access to the latest version of your projects -- whether they start from File Exchange or GitHub.

Share website containing your MATLAB code

By using the “Link to an External Website” option when contributing to File Exchange, you can share your website containing your MATLAB-related project. With this option:

  • The detail page for your submission contains the link to your website.
  • The community can provide feedback for your project on the detail page.
  • Code on your website cannot be downloaded directly from File Exchange.

Finding Files

File Exchange offers an extensive online library of files. You can find files by:

  • Browsing an assigned content type
  • Searching
  • Fine-tuning searches using directives 

When you find a file, you can open it to view details; add tags, a rating, and comments; or download the submission.

Searching for files.
Searching for files submitted by McGarrity. Note the areas (left) for refining the search by content type or time frame.

Making Files Easy to Find and Use

  • Make sure your titles and descriptions are clear and concise yet descriptive.
  • Proofread your submissions for readability and correct spelling.
  • Use tags that help target searches; see creating tags.
  • When adding images, make sure the image uses the same filename and resides in the same directory as your code.
  • Acknowledge files that inspired your submission. Acknowledgements appear on your file page and the page of the acknowledged file.

Browsing Content Types

File Exchange assigns content types to files based on information associated with your submission.

Content Is Assigned This Type When Files Have This Extension And the Submission Contains these Criteria

App

.mlappinstall

-

Driver

.mdd

-

Example

.m

/html subdirectory .html file with the same name as the MATLAB .m file

Function

.m

function  call

Simulink Model

.mdl

-

Video

.avi, .mp4, .wmv, .mpg, .mov, .swf, .mpeg

-

 

Tip: For file submitters, if a file in your submission is displayed but shows a message Preview image not found instead of a preview image, add an image with the same filename as your code in the same directory and File Exchange will display the image with your file. Example: If you have a file called "foo.mdl", adding a screenshot called foo.gif will display a screenshot of your Simulink model to users instead of this message.

No image found for this file.

Finding Files Using Directives

Search directives help you find files on File Exchange. You can specify search directives in the search box.

Search Result Directive Examples

Author with this name

author:

author:stuart
author:"Stuart McGarrity"

Author with an average file rating of 1 to 5

authoraverage:

authoraverage:5

Community member with this company/organization name listed in their public profile

organization:

organization:mathworks

Community member with this string in their email address

email:

email:mathworks.com

Content type

type:

type:function

File identification number, which appears at the top of the File Details page

id:

id:21832

License that includes this string

license:

license:bsd

Average community rating with this number

rating:

rating:5

Tags with this string applied to published submissions

tag:

tag:statistics
tag:"image processing"

Using Directives

  • To search for a multi-word phrase, enclose the phrase in quotation marks; for example, author:"Helen Chen".
  • To narrow search results, use combinations of directives in the same search. Be sure to include a space between each directive. File Exchange finds all files matching all specified directives.
  • To search for more than one value for the same directive, specify one directive for each value. For example, the syntax tag:graphics tag:vector finds all files tagged with both graphics and vector.
  • To exclude files from your search results, insert a minus sign (-) before the directive syntax. For example, the syntax -tag:game excludes all files with the tag game.

Tagging Files

Tags provide bookmark information to help find or recall files of interest. With tags, you can browse submitted files using assigned keywords.  Community members with profiles can tag any file. All tags are public; anyone can view them.

From your profile, you can see tags you've applied to files. Within a file, you can see tags applied by everyone in the community.  By tagging, you give community members insight into your interests, making it easier to collaborate and exchange ideas.  

You can add tags when submitting new files or viewing existing ones. Use commas to separate multiple tags and quotation marks to indicate multiword tags.

Creating Tags

  • Make tags descriptive yet concise.
  • Use consistent terminology, including terms that members are most likely to use; for example, videos, images, and graphics.
  • Tag noteworthy elements, such as concepts, functions, and proper nouns.
  • Choose nouns over verbs.
  • Do not use abbreviations or acronyms unless they are well known.
  • Check your spelling.

Rating Files and Adding Comments

You can rate files using one to five stars (lowest to highest). When rating files, add comments to support your rating and share usage notes with the author and other community members.

Adding ratings and comments to submitted files.
Adding ratings and comments to submitted files.

Adding Comments to Files

  • Be honest and considerate of the file's author and other community members.
  • Provide specific information on what you like and dislike about the submission.
  • Use examples to illustrate your point.
  • Share your experiences with similar submissions.
  • Be aware that comments containing profanity, vulgarity, or an offensive tone will be removed from the site.

Gaining Recognition

File Exchange determines the most popular files based on the highest number of downloads in the last 30 days. The more popular your files are, the more recognition you gain from the community.

Counting Downloads

To accurately reflect downloads submitted by individuals, File Exchange counts multiple downloads from the same IP address as a single download.

Provide instructions for others to cite your work

Citation instructions help community members reference your work when they use it in their own research or derivative works. For example, you may want others to cite your File Exchange detail page, a research article you wrote, a group you are affiliated with, or some combination of artifacts.

New File Exchange entries are created with a default citation instruction, which you can delete. In addition, you can:

  • Specify a citation instruction using custom text
  • Specify a DOI, which you must generate elsewhere, as explained on DOI.org
  • Create multiple citation instructions